Waiting for Summer
by Regaime Seishi
Summary: For her he was summer; a sunrise creeping up on the dark and banishing the night. He was an afternoon shower, there to wash away the dust and quench the soil’s thirst. He was her garden, starting from nothing and growing to be so much more. Uo/Ha'ri 1shot


Waiting for Summer

For her he was summer; a sunrise creeping up on the dark—quiet, slow—poking its head above the horizon and banishing the night. He was a stroll along the beach with a lover in hand, holding it gently, swinging—back, forth—unafraid because as long as they held tight, their connection could not be broken. He was an afternoon shower, cool and refreshing, there to wash away the dust and quench the soil's thirst. He was her garden, starting from nothing and growing to be _so much more_.

It was inevitable, she supposed, that she should fall in love with him. She still loved Kureno—she always would and that would never change—and she regretted loving another, but he wasn't _here_ anymore…and she just couldn't _help _it.

He had saved her. He had lifted her up off her knees, brushed her off, and given her a new life, another chance at happiness. He'd been there at her worst, but he had never turned a shy eye or blamed her for wasting his time. In fact, he seemed happy to help. When she asked about it, he simply said, "It occupied my time", which made her wonder: what would he be doing…no, what would he be _feeling_ if she hadn't been there to _occupy his time_?

She didn't understand_ what_ exactly, but _something_ had happened the day Kureno died. Those charred feathers…as soon as they hit the asphalt, something in Hatori had changed—something in him had broken. She would catch him gazing out at the garden, a thoughtful look upon that serious face of his. She could never quite conjure enough courage to ask what he was thinking about, though. At least, not until today.

As soon as the words left her lips, an invisible barrier was thrown between them. In all the months she had stayed here, sharing his house and his meals, conversing with him, laughing with him, mourning with him…he had never turned from her. He did it now. He turned his head away and hid behind the curtain of his hair.

Uo frowned slightly, but leaned in to brush back the dark strands so that his scarred eye was visible. She swallowed the gasp that rose to her lips—in all the time she had spent with him, she had never seen it. She only knew it was wounded from the murmurs she heard from the servants, patronizing her for being with him, wondering if this time she would cause the other eye to be injured—she didn't know what they meant by this, but they certainly weren't kind, the words they spewed. Still, she forced her surprise down, knowing that to show it would harm him _so much more_. Already he was frozen stiff, shock spread across his face, horror deep in his eyes.

"Hatori…the feathers…what did they mean?"

His silence made her squirm inside—was he really _that_ distrusting of her, after she had wept her guts out at his feet—_humiliated_ herself in front of him when Kureno had died?

"Damnit, answer me!!"

He opened his mouth to say something, but all that came out was a sigh. Uo stayed silent, waiting for a reply; she could tell he wasn't just ignoring her inquiry—that he really _was _trying to form words, but that…for _some_ reason, he was afraid to. She wondered why, thinking back to their first meeting. Akito had mentioned a curse…had _begged_ Hatori not to leave her when the feathers had surrounded him. Uo still couldn't fathom why he hadn't left a long time ago. If _she_ had been anywhere _near_ that brat Akito, she would have moved on _long_ ago.

She sighed; it was one of the many mysteries surrounding this man. How she had fallen in love with such a stranger, she wasn't sure. She couldn't believe the questions that bombarded her daily hadn't driven her _insane_ yet. Questions like: what had happened to his eye? Who was the smiling woman in the picture he kept close? Why was he so afraid to open up to her?

"Don't be afraid…" The words came out involuntarily. Hatori stared at her, his brow drawing together sharply. He glanced briefly at the woman in the photograph, the action so swift that it seemed he was trying to hide it. But, after months of being close to this man and watching him, Uo hardly missed _any_ small expression he made, which, since he rarely showed any obvious emotion, made sense.

"Who is she?" Hatori hesitated, then sighed again.

"Her name is Kanna." The way he said her name—like it was a caress—made it was easy to guess his next words. "She was…my first love."

Now Hatori openly stared at the picture. His eyes lowered, his lids drooping sadly, until he lifted them up again to look at Uo, who sat patiently, waiting for him to explain.

"When I asked Akito's permission to marry her, he did this." He gestured to his left eye. "At the time I couldn't blame Akito, so Kanna blamed herself. It got so bad that I…made her forget me." He paused, and when he continued, his voice held an angry edge. "Now, though…now I can blame Akito. The feathers you saw that day…" Again he paused, only this time he seemed to be searching for the right words. "I suppose you could say they were…a part of my soul—the part that bound me to Akito—the part of me that was unable to blame him."

"The curse."

"Yes."

It surprised him how she knew about it, but even more so, it surprised him how intuitive she was. It was a wonder she was able to come to such a conclusion with so few facts to guide her. That was why he kept his answer so short. He had wanted to add that the curse was a bit more complicated, but her intuition had made him wary. She had told him not to be afraid, but he knew that was impossible. Besides, she would never believe him, not when he had no proof. He wondered, was that good or bad? He wasn't sure.

A soft rap interrupted his thoughts. He answered the door, knowing who it was before he did just by the way her fist sounded against the wood. She visited so often that this knock had become familiar to them both. As soon as it had sounded, Uo's face had brightened.

"Oh, hello Hatori!"

"Hello Tohru. I trust you've been well?"

"Ah, yes! I didn't come here because I'm sick, if that's what you mean. I'm in perfect health!" She smiled that goofy smile of hers, the one that seemed to heal better than any medicine _he_ was capable of giving. Indeed, she was more deserving of the title 'doctor' than he was.

"I'll go make us some tea," he offered. When it looked like she was going to protest as was usual, he held up a hand to stop her. "I won't take no for an answer."

"He's so stubborn, that one," Uo laughed once he'd left the room, but her voice was filled with affection. Tohru sighed.

"I really wish he wouldn't bother. I come over uninvited enough as it is…"

"You know that's not true," Uo assured her, "You're _always_ welcome here. Hatori would tell you that too if he wasn't so…" She trailed off, her voice suddenly quiet and somber. She didn't know how to finish the sentence. She didn't know how to describe the man she loved.

"Uo? What's the matter?"

"It's—" She paused, then clamped her mouth shut. No matter how much she wanted to, she just couldn't bring herself to pry any further. It felt like she was cheating. Besides, suppose Tohru wasn't as informed as she believed—what then?

"—nothing…"

"Uo…did something happen between you and Hatori?" Uo sighed, frustrated.

"He won't _tell_ me! I don't know what he's so afraid about, but…" She knew she probably wasn't making any sense, but it felt too good to vent. She gritted her teeth and continued to let it all go. "Damnit, it's not _fair_! Not knowing—all these _secrets_—it's killing me inside!"

"He's probably afraid that you'll reject him," Tohru replied, gazing at the photo sitting on his shelf, "Or that you'll get _hurt_ if you…get too close. He didn't want _me_ getting involved with the Sohmas at first _either_. He didn't want me to regret it…"

"So he thinks he can just _decide_ for me!? _God_, that pisses me off!! I mean, the cu—" Again she stopped herself, fighting with the words she wanted to blurt out. At long last that desire won. "Tohru…you've been living with the Sohmas for a while now, so you _must_ know…about the curse…"

"Uo! W-when did you—!?"

"Don't worry, it wasn't anything you said. I…figured it out. But…I still don't know the details. All I know is that…for Hatori, at least, the curse has been broken."

"A-are you serious!? That's _wonderful_!!" Tohru gasped, clasping her hands together. Uo gave her a look that clearly asked her to explain. At once Tohru's excitement vanished, replaced by a cautious air. "I-I'm not sure it's my place to tell you…" she said, continuing nervously at the glare Uo threw her, "B-but then again, s-since you already know, I doubt it could do _too_ much d-damage." She paused just long enough to collect her words.

"Certain members of the Sohma family are…cursed by the angry spirits of the 12 zodiac animals, plus the cat. Hatori is—_was_ the dragon." She giggled at the astonished look on Uo's face. "Oh, but he didn't _transform_ into a dragon, he transformed into a seahorse."

"Transform?"

"Oh, right! When members of the zodiac are under a lot of stress, or if they are hugged by a member of the opposite sex, they transform into their zodiac animal, or, in Hatori's case, a less..._extreme_ version."

Uo nodded, suddenly lost in her thoughts, one memory in particular coming to mind—that of a strong pair of arms, holding her close…consoling her. She felt oddly pleased that she had been the first he'd hugged.

'_Kureno_._'_ His name came so abruptly to the forefront of her mind that she gasped.

"Uo?" Tohru asked, worry layered into the name.

"So…Kureno…which member of the zodiac was he? No—let me guess." Tohru's mouth closed with an audible chomp. "The…bird?" Tohru smiled.

"That's right! Well, technically he's the rooster, but I guess he transformed into a bird. I never saw it though—_his_ curse was broken a long time ago."

Uo nodded. It fit him so well. The day they'd met—the birdseed, the blueberries—it all fit so perfectly. A tear dropped onto her skirt, staining it a deep blue. Uo covered her mouth in misery, staring at the sudden drop and waiting for more to accompany it, like they always did when…when she thought of him. This time, though, no more came and somehow…she _knew_—with absolute certainty—that the lonely tear on her knee was the last she'd ever cry for him. Because now, she understood. He was _free_.

"Sorry I took so long—" Hatori stopped, tea tray in hand, to stare at the two of them, Uo in particular as she wiped furiously at her cheek. "Ah, did something happen?"

"Just these damn allergies!" Uo lied, wishing the blush on her face would disappear. She hated the feeling that embarrassment caused.

"Oh, Hatori, you're back!" came Tohru's typical, cheerful voice. "I'm really sorry to have to say this after you went through all the trouble of making tea, but I actually have to go. I have…a lot of errands to run, so I really must be going. See you later, Uo!"

"Yeah, bye…" Uo replied, hand raised in a half-wave, but Tohru was already gone, leaving the two of them alone…Uo cursed her inside—she didn't _want_ to be alone with him right this second!

"Well, that was unexpected."

Uo jumped as Ha'ri set the tea down in front of them, her heart thudding so loudly in her chest it was a wonder the tea didn't vibrate as she picked it up.

"Uh, are you ok?" Hatori asked. She blanched—_crap_! He'd noticed the jump!

"Ah, yes," she replied, downing her nerves along with the tea. Hatori eyed her as he drank as well, trying to interpret her reaction.

Her nerves now settled, a more reserved and…somber mood hit her. She lowered her glass, staring down at the green liquid as it swirled and then calmed. Not knowing how to convey her feelings, she laughed.

"You know, I wouldn't have cared. So _what _if you didn't transform into a dragon. It's nothing to be ashamed about. I think seahorses are cute, actually." She spoke of his zodiac form, but really she was referring to something else. Hatori realized this too.

"It's…hard for me to not be ashamed of it. It isn't normal. Even now, with the curse gone…"

_'Even if I'm able to embrace you…it just doesn't seem right…'_ He didn't say these words aloud, but somehow Uo heard them. She set her tea down carefully, then turned to him. There was just the faintest bit of surprise on that stoic face of his as she brushed his cheek with her fingertips and gazed into those hard, brown eyes. The exchange, however small, meant much more than any reassurance Uo could have said in words—don't be ashamed, don't be afraid, trust me, _love me_—it was all there, just in that one touch.

Tears welled in Hatori's eyes. They widened and the unwelcome moisture fell down his cheeks—they came so suddenly that Hatori was frozen in shock. Then her lips covered his and the tears melted back, replaced by something warmer.

When they separated, it was not for long. Hatori pulled her close to him, wrapping his arms around her so that she nestled in his lap, her head resting on his chest, his hands folded in her lap, her own covering them…_warming _them. They stayed like that for a long time, happy just to be allowed such a thing.

A content hum escaped Uo's lips as she leaned against him, wanting to be as close as possible. This, however, was not the source of her murmur. A butterfly fluttered past the open doors and landed on one of the flowers in the garden outside.

"Hey, would'ya look at that," she said, "summer's finally here."

"Hmm? It's still May."

"Yes, but Kyoko…Tohru's mom…she always used to say that for _her_, summer began when a butterfly left its cocoon. I think now I know what she meant."

Hatori's mouth hung open, impressed by the double meaning in her words. Then he smiled, hugging her just a little tighter.

"Yes," he agreed, "So do I."

The end! So, I hope you all enjoyed the sequel to _Clipped Wings_. I doubt anyone noticed, but I tried to keep the conversation as close to character as possible. Like, Ha'ri, for example. He always speaks so politely and he never really puts emphasis on certain words, like Uo and Tohru do. So I tried to keep his dialogue as…_flat_ as possible. And really, it surprised me when I could hear everyone's voices as they talked…either I'm doing a great job, or I'm just watching too much Fruba…

Right, the part at the end with the butterfly—I thought it suited Kyoko, her being the 'Legendary Red Butterfly' and all. And that metaphor! WOW did that come out of nowhere. I really wonder about my brain sometimes…

Well, I thought it was neat, so I've decided to pass on the interest…for those of you who care. Maybe it's a bit obvious, but I was going for a cycling of the seasons with Ha'ri's relationships. Kanna was spring, so Uo is summer. I don't know exactly what Kureno was…


End file.
